A LONG-standing Eastern promise is set to become a reality in Loughborough as a multi-million plan to transform in and around the town's train station has steamed through its biggest "challenge".

The £19m Loughborough Eastern Gateway project, which has been in the pipeline for around a decade, was given approval by Charnwood Borough Council's cabinet at a meeting last week following deals being struck with Network Rail, and work could begin in earnest as early as April next year.

The plan - which will see millions spent on regenerating the area around Loughborough Station including building a new link road between Meadow Lane and Nottingham Road, closing Ratcliffe Road and Burder Street to through traffic, constructing new homes and offices and spending £5.3m on the station itself - is now possible due to the deal with Network Rail to develop areas of their land.

At the cabinet meeting on June 26, lead member for the project Coun Steve Hampson said that the "stumbling block" of agreeing the scheme with Network Rail was the biggest difficulty the scheme faced.

Coun David Snartt said: "What marvellous news this is. The benefits that are going to be seen in the area are going to be tremendous."

Coun Peter Lewis added: "I do hope that we can look at this as a whole from a design point of view - this is the entrance to Loughborough through which many people will come."